David@Leo's Camera
Leos Camera Canada
We just had our HVX orientation with the guys from Panasonic Canada last night, so I thought you'd like to hear the point of view of someone who sells these things side by side with the other HD and SD cams.
WOW.
Just like when the DVX was introduced, it made me wish I really had something worthwhile to shoot right now because this camera just begs you to pick it up and start rolling. It feels great. Heavier than the DVX but not unwieldy. The new focus ring feels really nice. Lots of nice little touches like the 1/4" thread hole on the handle and the reenforced tripod interface.
I admit I was somewhat skeptical of the P2 concept, even up until last night. I was worried about data corruption and backup, and how efficient the tranfer process would be. After seeing the system in action, I'm a believer.
These cards are nigh-industructible - much more stable than tape. I've been using flash memory in digital still applications for years now and it's rare that I've had significant problems. In fact, although I still prefer film for personal use, I would say flash memory has a lower failure rate than film, considering it's resistance to temperature, weather, light sensitivity etc. And of course these cards are the top of the line in terms of durability and speed.
Transferring the data from the P2 to a G4 Powerbook via the PCMCIA was extremely fast and effortless. Having the clips already in the timeline and ready to go was awesome. I can't express how happy I was to be able to avoid the log and capture window! It is really cool to have all the metadata for each clip - just like digital still files. Having all that capture info handy to review is really important and once you're used to having it, it's hard to live without. Just ask any pro still shooter. With the ability to fix in-camera any files corrupted to do power failure or ejecting the wrong card helps ensure pristine files. No hidden surprises like damaged frames due to dirty heads etc.
Being able to stream directly into FCP4 and up is nice for someone like me who doesn't always own the latest and most up-to-date gear. I could get the camera without cards and capture HD directly to my G4 with FCP4, allowing the camera to start making money right away, then I can upgrade my software and add cards later.
I think I would prefer to capture to P2 so I could make backups right away and have access to the metadata. A concern I had about this was the amount of info a 4GB card could hold - only 4 minutes at 1080? No worries for me because for what I like to shoot, 720/24p would be the setting I would use most often, allowing 10 minutes of capture per 4GB card. 720p just seems to be the way to go: variable frame rates, no motion artifacts, and more than double the shooting time per card. For any clients insisting on 1080 I would just upconvert later and they probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference!:lipsrseal
With the FireStore FS-100 on the way and the CinePorter, there's all kinds of ways to capture footage. No matter which method you choose I believe it will be much more efficient than logging and capturing from tape.
There's been a lot of talk about noise. We are very noise-sensitive here, having to talk about digital SLRs all day. None of us saw anything from either the captured or live footage that looked particularly noisey. Maybe those who have made such comments are mistaking the inherent noise in most plasma displays as camera noise? Just a thought - it all looked good to me.
So of course there's lots of theoretical and practical comparisons to the Canon XH-1 and Sony FX1/Z1U. Well, we also sell the Sonys and although we are not a dealer for the XH-1 at the moment, we've been selling XL-1/2s for years. When a customer walks into our store we don't try and sell them the camera WE like the best, we help them find the right camera for their needs.
With this in mind, I wouldn't directly compare these cameras because I believe they each suit different needs. Need a lightweight camera that you can pack up a mountain to shoot gorgeous hi-def footage for a TV program? Can't go wrong with the Sonys.
Need a camera that will be at home in the studio and the field to shoot live event footage without a crew? Canon XH-1 has your name on it.
Looking to shoot video for feature film work with a film transfer or f/x work in mind? Need to capture the highest quality sports footage in HD? For the most possible infomation per file in a video camera under $10000, the Panasonic HVX is the best bet.
So those are my humble observations. This isn't meant to questions anyone else's observations/tests/opinions, or ignite any controversial replies.
I'm excited to get these cameras in the hands of our customers and see what they can do with this machine. By the way, we still haven't filled our first order, so if anyone wants to get in on the first batch coming into Canada in a few weeks, let me know!
WOW.
Just like when the DVX was introduced, it made me wish I really had something worthwhile to shoot right now because this camera just begs you to pick it up and start rolling. It feels great. Heavier than the DVX but not unwieldy. The new focus ring feels really nice. Lots of nice little touches like the 1/4" thread hole on the handle and the reenforced tripod interface.
I admit I was somewhat skeptical of the P2 concept, even up until last night. I was worried about data corruption and backup, and how efficient the tranfer process would be. After seeing the system in action, I'm a believer.
These cards are nigh-industructible - much more stable than tape. I've been using flash memory in digital still applications for years now and it's rare that I've had significant problems. In fact, although I still prefer film for personal use, I would say flash memory has a lower failure rate than film, considering it's resistance to temperature, weather, light sensitivity etc. And of course these cards are the top of the line in terms of durability and speed.
Transferring the data from the P2 to a G4 Powerbook via the PCMCIA was extremely fast and effortless. Having the clips already in the timeline and ready to go was awesome. I can't express how happy I was to be able to avoid the log and capture window! It is really cool to have all the metadata for each clip - just like digital still files. Having all that capture info handy to review is really important and once you're used to having it, it's hard to live without. Just ask any pro still shooter. With the ability to fix in-camera any files corrupted to do power failure or ejecting the wrong card helps ensure pristine files. No hidden surprises like damaged frames due to dirty heads etc.
Being able to stream directly into FCP4 and up is nice for someone like me who doesn't always own the latest and most up-to-date gear. I could get the camera without cards and capture HD directly to my G4 with FCP4, allowing the camera to start making money right away, then I can upgrade my software and add cards later.
I think I would prefer to capture to P2 so I could make backups right away and have access to the metadata. A concern I had about this was the amount of info a 4GB card could hold - only 4 minutes at 1080? No worries for me because for what I like to shoot, 720/24p would be the setting I would use most often, allowing 10 minutes of capture per 4GB card. 720p just seems to be the way to go: variable frame rates, no motion artifacts, and more than double the shooting time per card. For any clients insisting on 1080 I would just upconvert later and they probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference!:lipsrseal
With the FireStore FS-100 on the way and the CinePorter, there's all kinds of ways to capture footage. No matter which method you choose I believe it will be much more efficient than logging and capturing from tape.
There's been a lot of talk about noise. We are very noise-sensitive here, having to talk about digital SLRs all day. None of us saw anything from either the captured or live footage that looked particularly noisey. Maybe those who have made such comments are mistaking the inherent noise in most plasma displays as camera noise? Just a thought - it all looked good to me.
So of course there's lots of theoretical and practical comparisons to the Canon XH-1 and Sony FX1/Z1U. Well, we also sell the Sonys and although we are not a dealer for the XH-1 at the moment, we've been selling XL-1/2s for years. When a customer walks into our store we don't try and sell them the camera WE like the best, we help them find the right camera for their needs.
With this in mind, I wouldn't directly compare these cameras because I believe they each suit different needs. Need a lightweight camera that you can pack up a mountain to shoot gorgeous hi-def footage for a TV program? Can't go wrong with the Sonys.
Need a camera that will be at home in the studio and the field to shoot live event footage without a crew? Canon XH-1 has your name on it.
Looking to shoot video for feature film work with a film transfer or f/x work in mind? Need to capture the highest quality sports footage in HD? For the most possible infomation per file in a video camera under $10000, the Panasonic HVX is the best bet.
So those are my humble observations. This isn't meant to questions anyone else's observations/tests/opinions, or ignite any controversial replies.
I'm excited to get these cameras in the hands of our customers and see what they can do with this machine. By the way, we still haven't filled our first order, so if anyone wants to get in on the first batch coming into Canada in a few weeks, let me know!
